The Expanse (episode)
After a devastating attack on Earth by an alien probe of unknown origin, Enterprise is recalled and sent into a strange expanse on a new, more vital mission. Summary Teaser High above the planet Earth, an alien probe appears to enter from a visibility shield. The probe descends toward the planet below and comes to a stop above Earth's atmosphere. It fires a destructive blast at the continent of America from Florida to Venezula, South America that cuts a swath through the planet's surface. When its task is complete, the probe self destructs, with one component continuing to hurtle toward Earth. Act One On the Klingon homeworld, Qo'noS, in an organized gathering inside the Klingon High Council Chamber, the Council meets with Duras, son of Toral. The Klingon Chancellor is infuriated that Duras allowed Starfleet Captain Jonathan Archer to escape from imprisonment on two occasions. As a result of his failure to permanently secure Archer, Duras was dishonored by the Klingon Empire. When the Chancellor informs Duras that the High Council is providing him with a chance to regain both his command and his honor, Duras assures the Council he will succeed. In the briefing room aboard the NX class starship ''Enterprise'', Archer solemnly tells his senior staff the news that a probe has attacked Earth and cut a swath 4,000 kilometers long between Florida and Venezuela. Enterprise has been recalled by Starfleet Command. Although the journey back to Earth will be long, Helmsman Travis Mayweather complies with Archer's instruction to set a course for the planet at maximum warp. Worried about his younger sister, an architect who lives in Florida, Chief Engineer Charles "Trip" Tucker enters the Captain's Ready Room. Unfortunately, Archer has not been told the areas of that American state the probe attacked. Subcommander T'Pol enters the room and reports that a Vulcan transport found a pod from the alien probe in central Asia. The transport brought the pod to Starfleet Headquarters, where it was studied. Starfleet has discovered that the probe was operated by an unidentified pilot, who was killed on impact. While the officers continue to discuss the situation, eight Suliban vessels approach Enterprise at high warp and surround the ship. On the bridge, Lieutenant Reed activates the tactical alert but three Suliban soldiers board Enterprise and kidnap the captain. They take him to one of their ships, where Archer meets his arch-nemesis, Silik. Archer accuses him of the attack on Earth, but the Suliban agent claims he was not involved and has no knowledge of the incident. Instead, Silik takes the captain to his leader – a man from the future who can only project his image through time and not participate in events directly. In a temporal communications chamber, the figure claims that the alien probe was launched by the Xindi, who learned that their homeworld would be destroyed by Humans 400 years in the future. The figure explains that the Xindi were informed of their planet's annihilation by another faction in the Temporal Cold War that can communicate through time. According to the mysterious figure, the probe was only a prototype for a much bigger and more powerful weapon that the Xindi are currently building. They plan to use the weapon to destroy Earth and eradicate the Humans before they can cause the destruction of the Xindi planet. The figure implies that, in his time period, history does not record Earth's destruction in the 22nd century. However, if the planet is destroyed, the disaster will contaminate the timeline. The captain is soon returned to his ship, where he tells T'Pol of the figure's story. The Vulcan doubts the recounted explanation but Archer asks for her support. He fears that her skepticism could lead him to mistrust the figure, a character who might be telling him the truth. :Captain's starlog - April 24, 2153. The journey home has been very difficult. We've now learned that over seven million people were lost. On Enterprise's bridge, Ensign Mayweather sees Earth's sun, Sol, on the main viewscreen. He shows Archer the spectacle shortly before Lieutenant Reed notes that a ship has dropped out of warp nearby. T'Pol is unable to identify the craft, which opens fire on Enterprise. In space, a Klingon Bird-of-Prey continues its attack as it swoops over the Starfleet vessel's hull. Act Two As the battle proceeds, T'Pol finally identifies the attacking ship. Since Enterprise loses both forward phase cannons, Archer orders the deployment of spatial torpedoes but the weapons cause insignificant damage. The Klingon ship retaliates with a destructive volley of torpedoes that detonate on contact with Enterprise's starboard nacelle, causing plasma to leak out into space. When the Klingon ship sends a message to Enterprise demanding Archer's personal surrender so that honor may be regained, the captain realizes that Duras is commanding the Bird-of-Prey. Suddenly, a series of explosions erupt on the Starfleet vessel's bridge as the ship's nacelles are crippled. Realizing his opportunity to secure Archer, Duras issues orders to stop the attack and to prepare a boarding party. However, three Earth vessels, including the starship Intrepid, suddenly appear and destroy the Klingon ship's third and fourth disruptor banks. In furious frustration, Duras reluctantly withdraws from the battle. The Intrepid's commanding officer, Captain Ramirez, contacts Enterprise and welcomes the crew home, implying that he feels sorry the situation is so bleak. As Enterprise orbits Earth, T'Pol, Hoshi, Mayweather, Archer and Reed contemplate the devastation that the alien probe caused. The officers gaze dishearteningly at the swath of destruction on the main viewscreen. Commander Tucker, wracked with grief, diverts his attention away from the image. In Starfleet Headquarters on Earth, Admiral Forrest and Vulcan Ambassador Soval notify Archer that both Starfleet and the Vulcan High Command doubt the mysterious figure's story. The captain urges Forrest to assign Enterprise the mission of searching for the Xindi. However, Soval reveals that the Xindi's homeworld is in the Delphic Expanse, a dangerous region of space where many Vulcan ships have gone missing. Archer likens the area to Earth's Bermuda Triangle, but Soval adds that the region is also rumored to hold several hostile alien species and unexplainable phenomena. The Vulcan is definite in his belief that the mission should not be authorized. When Forrest suggests that sufficient evidence may persuade Starfleet to authorize Archer's plan, the captain admits that the mysterious figure provided him with proof. The three men enter another room, where the wreckage of the alien probe remains. The captain removes a concealed component from the rubble and uses the quantum dating function of two scanners to demonstrate that the component is likely from the future. Although Soval is still unwilling to acknowledge the evidence, Forrest states that he plans to talk with Starfleet Command, apparently believing the captain's proof. With Forrest's authorization, Archer walks over to a secured freezer unit and looks inside. The unit contains a frozen alien corpse that the captain analyses with a scanner. When Soval asks Archer if he believes the alien is a Xindi, the captain replies that he intends to find out. While Enterprise is docked in one of Earth's orbital drydock facilities, Archer enters sickbay. There, Phlox introduces the captain to a male Vulcan doctor named Fer'at. The Vulcan is apparently present to analyse Archer's exposure to traces of pyritic radiation found in the alien probe. As Fer'at questions the captain, Phlox uses a nearby console to access the Vulcan database. He is enraged when he learns that Fer'at is actually a psychiatric analyst sent to examine Archer's mental state. Following Archer's instruction, Phlox leaves sickbay with Fer'at and accompanies the Vulcan to an airlock. Meanwhile, Reed and Tucker visit the site of the alien attack. The two officers look out across a narrow valley where the Tucker family's house once stood. Trip shows Reed where a nearby movie theatre was, and recalls that he used to take his sister there when she was a baby. Tucker solemnly states that his sister would have contacted someone if she were still alive, believing that the fact she hasn't is proof that she died in the attack. Act Three :Captain's starlog, supplemental. After days of debate, Starfleet's finally informed me that we're to proceed with our new mission. Inside an inspection pod, Archer and Forrest survey the starship ''Columbia'', the second NX class spacecraft to be built. Uncompleted, the vessel is docked in one of Earth's orbital drydock facilities. Forrest hopes that Enterprise will have returned long before Columbia's launch in fourteen months. The admiral notifies Archer that the new vessel will have the same armament as Enterprise, once the prototype NX class starship is completely retrofitted. Archer reveals that he notified his crew of their new mission in the morning, although several officers have decided to leave the ship. When the captain admits that he spoke to General Casey several hours ago, Forrest remarks that he was surprised at Archer's request for military personnel. The captain responds that he doesn't have a problem with non-Starfleet officers and that security will be of vital importance in the Delphic Expanse. Although Forrest worries that the mysterious figure did not reveal where to look in the Delphic Expanse, or when the alien weapon will be ready, Archer believes that the figure warned him because Enterprise still has enough time to stop the aliens from destroying Earth. Aboard Enterprise, T'Pol enters sickbay and finds Doctor Phlox. She asks whether he is sure of his decision to remain aboard the ship. According to the Vulcan, Crewman Fuller just informed her that a shuttle carrying two hundred snow beetles is on its way. Although Phlox suggests that the beetles might be for his replacement, T'Pol is certain that every doctor in Starfleet would be completely unsure of how to use them. The Denobulan smiles and asks T'Pol if she will also be staying on the ship. She replies that the Vulcan High Command has forbidden her from entering the Delphic Expanse. When Phlox asks T'Pol what she wants to do, the Vulcan states that she must obey the High Command. However, the doctor reminds her that she has not always acted in accordance with the High Command's orders. Phlox contemplates their decision of whether to leave the ship, revealing that he found the choice an easy one to make. He believes that T'Pol will have greater difficulty in deciding whether to leave, as her choice will indicate her allegiance to Archer or to the Vulcan High Command. A female ensign enters sickbay, moving a large white case into the room. T'Pol thanks Phlox for his help and follows the ensign out of sickbay. In the starship's armory, Reed shows Commander Tucker a stack of photonic torpedoes, advanced weaponry installed for the vessel's change of mission. The torpedoes have a variable yield and a range fifty times greater than the old spatial torpedoes. Reed tells Trip that three teams of security officers are working on adapting the torpedo tubes and have promised that they will have completed the task by the time Enterprise leaves spacedock. The lieutenant adds that he has to start integrating the weapons into the vessel's power grid. He then leaves the armory with Trip. Before leaving, Enterprise is given permission to take T'Pol back to Vulcan on its way towards the Expanse. Duras attacks a second time before Enterprise can reach Vulcan, but with its new photonic torpedoes, Enterprise is able to disable his engines and continue on its way. However, prior to reaching Vulcan, T'Pol decides to stay aboard Enterprise and resign her commission with the Vulcan High Command. Upon arriving at the edge of the expanse, Enterprise attempts to navigate the thick layers of thermobaric clouds that surround the region. Along the way, Duras attacks yet again, however, when two of his backup vessels refuse to enter the Expanse, Enterprise is able to destroy his ship using its new torpedoes. Background Information *The episode marked the end of the second season of Star Trek: Enterprise, and the beginning of the Xindi arc in which the crew search for the Xindi superweapon. *This episode marks the final appearance of Future Guy (James Horan) and the death of Duras (Daniel Riordan). *Bruce Wright previously played Sarish Rez in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Crossfire". *Two major scenes were deleted from the episode due to time constraints. One dealt with Hoshi's decision to remain aboard ship despite the risks. Another dealt with Archer's previously unmentioned love interest. Links and References Guest Stars * John Fleck as Silik * Vaughn Armstrong as Maxwell Forrest * Gary Graham as Soval * Daniel Riordan as Duras * James Horan as Future Guy * Bruce Wright as Fer'at Co-Stars * Dan Desmond as Klingon Chancellor * Josh Cruze as Captain Ramirez * Dave Figlioli as Klingon Weapons Officer (credited as Klingon Crewman) * L. Sidney as Klingon Helmsman (credited as Klingon Crewman #2) * Gary Bullock as Klingon Council Member * Serena Scott Thomas as Becky (deleted scenes) References Bermuda Triangle; Earth; Florida; Intrepid type; Japanese language; Klingons, Suliban; Silik; Xindi; Xindi-Reptilian; Xindi superweapon; Unnamed Earth Starfleet class; Venezuela. External Links * Expanse, The de:Die Ausdehnung es:The Expanse nl:The Expanse